well, fortunately, there are many degrees between assault rifles & helicopters, and a handful of beat cops. what about riot police or units that are otherwise specifically geared towards crowd control purposes? i know those camo guys were used in conjunction with regular or riot police but still. you have to admit, this does, on surface, appear to be a bit excessive. again, that in itself isnt necessarily wrong, but it is suspicious. i just dont really get it

Often times - especially in non urban areas - SWAT are the riot police.